Fiat Tipo gets 3-star safety rating from Euro NCAP

The Fiat Tipo has been awarded a three-star safety rating from Euro NCAP, the independent body that crash tests new cars in Europe.

The Tipo was tested under Euro NCAP's dual ratings system, which allows a car to be classified once with its standard safety equipment, and again using optional safety equipment. When re-tested with Fiat's 'Pack Safety' package, the Tipo achieved a four-star rating.

Rivalling other mass-market family hatchbacks such as the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra and Volkswagen Golf, the Tipo is currently on sale for £12,995 in hatchback form, or £13,995 as an estate. That low price makes the Tipo substantially cheaper than its main rivals, but the car only comes with basic safety equipment as standard. The optional safety package - which costs an extra £500 - includes adaptive cruise control, a speed limiter and Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB).

AEB is an important safety technology that uses radar and sensors to monitor other vehicles - and in more advanced systems, pedestrians too - in front of the car. If the system detects the car is about to crash, it can apply the brakes faster automatically, either reducing the severity of a collision or avoiding one entirely, by bringing the vehicle to a halt.

All three of the Tipo's main rivals get Euro NCAP's top five-star safety rating, although the Focus and Golf were last tested in 2012, and the Astra in 2015. Euro NCAP altered its testing process in 2016 to include pedestrian safety, of which the presence of AEB is a part.